Shower head



May 14, 1968 A. A. FIORENTINO SHOWER HEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1966 FIG.2.

FIG.4.

FIG.3.

INVENTOR Arthur A. Fiorentino BY W 4,44%

ATTORNEYS May 14, 1968 A. A. FIORENTINO 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1966 F lorentino ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,383,051 SHOWER HEAD Arthur A. Florentine, Newark, Del., assignor to Speakman Company, Wilmington, Del. Filed Jan. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 519,626 2 Claims. (Cl. 239-460) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plastic shower head having an unrestricted internal passage from the inlet supply opening to the quadrangular spray openings of varying angles arranged about the inner periphery of the discharge end of the shower head. Flexible lips of an axially adjustable spray face confine and vary the water flow through the spray openings resulting in a uniform cone spray.

This invention relates to shower heads, and more particularly to shower heads economical to manufacture, being cast from plastic materials.

Heretofore there have been many attempts to make a plastic shower head. These shower heads have failed to retain their various parts in water-tight engagement, because certain plastic materials swell on long contact with water. Shower heads of this type have also failed because the supply member has also been made of plastic which has a tendency to be deformed when forced on to the supply main. Certain shower heads have also provided within the shower head a valve to control the volume of water discharged by the head. This subjects the upper portion of the shower head to excessive pressure. The discharge openings in most shower heads have been V-shaped in cross section, and its has been found that a better spray pattern can be obtained with slots having a quadrangular cross section.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a plastic shower head having an unrestricted flow therethrough from the point of entry of the water to the discharge slots.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a plastic shower head having an interior packing adjacent to the ball in the ball joint, and at the same time to provide a bearing surface on the body portion adjacent to the packing.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a shower head having quadrangular discharge orifices or openings in the circumference thereof, said orifices having varying discharge angles.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a spray face having a flexible downwardly projecting edge portion to restrict the discharge slots and control the nature of the discharge from said slots.

The various features of novelty which characterize this invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this invention. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its ad-. vantages and specific objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which has been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a shower head.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an inverted plan view of the shower head.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the spray obtained from the shower head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 2 F

of the 2 discharge orifice.

3,383,051 Patented May 14, 1968 FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6 showing the 6 discharge orifice.

FIG. 8 is similar to to FIG. 7 showing the 12 /2 discharge orifice.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of one discharge orifice showing the spray face in the flood position.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view, similar to FIG. 9, showing the spray face in intermediate position.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the spray face in a restricted position.

The improved shower head shown in the drawings comprises a hollow body portion of a general bell-shape having an upper restricted portion 21 which is formed with a cylindrical surface 22 having a groove 23 therebelow to receive the packing 24. The outer surface of the restricted portion 21 has the thread 25 thereon. The body portion has a yoke 26 therein with a central portion 27 having a threaded opening 28 therethrough. Discharge openings 29, 30, 31 and 32 are provided to allow the flow of water through said yoke. The lower portion of the bell-shaped body is provided with a depending flange 33 which is formed by the recess 34 so as to form a spray shield 35 in the inner wall of the body portion. Adjacent to the upper part of the recess are provided a number of slots or orifices 43.

A plastic nut 36, having threads 37 on the lower inner surface thereof, has an outer surface that is a continuation of the upper surface of the body portion 20.

A supply member 38, preferably made of metal has a conduit 39 therethrough and a ball 40 on the lower end thereof, this ball being larger than the upper portion 41 of said supply member, the portion 41 being provided with interior threads 42 to permit connection with a source of supply, not shown.

A spray face 45, generally circular in cross section has across its lower face, a key 46. A flexible flange 47 depends from the marginal position of the spray face. The spray face on its upper surface has an upstanding boss 48 which is provided on its exterior surface with threads 49.

The openings 43 in the lower portion of the body portion 20 are quadrangular in cross section, as shown in FIG. 3. These openings have rear walls 50, 53 and 54, shown in enlarged views, FIGURES 6 to 11, and a front surface 51 which is also the interior surface of the hollow body portion 20. The front wall has a 2 taper in the shower head as shown in FIG. 6. Thirty-six slots are provided; six of these slots have a rear wall that is at an angle of 2 to the central axis of the shower head, as shown in FIG. 6. Twelve of these slots have a rear wall 53 at 6 to the axis of the shower head, as shown in FIG. 7. Eighteen of these slots have a rear wall, 54 at 12%. to the axis of the shower head, as shown in FIG. 8.

In assembling this device, the plastic nut 36 has the supply member 38 inserted therethrough. The supply member is then fastened by means of the thread 42 to the supply main, not shown. The body portion 20 is then attached to the nut 36 by means of the threads 37 and 25, forcing the ball portion 40 against the packing 24 and bringing the ball portion into alignment with the cylindrical surface 22. The spray face 45 is placed within the body portion so that the threaded boss 48 is received in and held in adjustable position by the threaded opening 28. The end of threaded portion 48 is formed to a head 52 after assembly of the spray face 45 and body portion 20. This formed head prevents removal of the spray face from the body. The water is then admitted to the shower head through the conduit 39 and passes through the hollow bell-shaped body portion and is forced out through the slots 43.

The spray face, when adjusted in the position shown in FIGURE 9 allows a flood spray as a full flow of water passes through the clearance between the flexible flange 47 and the body surface 51. As the spray face is raised by turning the key 46 and rotating the face, the threaded boss 48 pulls the spray face upwardly, and the slots 43 are partially restricted by the flexible flange 47, as shown in FIG. 10 and an intermediate spray is produced. A needle type spray in produced when the flange is in the position shown in FIG. 11, and surface 58 of the spray face 45 is in contact with the lower face of body central portion 27. When the spray face is in any position as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 the slots having a 2 angle to the rear wall produce a cone of spray 55, as shown in FIG. 6. Those slots having a 6 angle to the rear wall produce a cone of spray 56, as shown in FIG. 5. Those slots having a 6 angle to the rear wall produce a cone of spray 56, as shown in FIG. 5. Those slots having a 12 angle to the rear wall produce a cone of spray 57, as shown in FIG. 5. This allows an even dist-ribution of water throughout the Dtal spray area.

The shower head body portion may be provided with a metal outer shell 60 and the plastic nut 36 may also be provided with a corresponding metal outer shell 61. These portions are simply included to improve the appearance of the shower head, if desired.

While in the above description the body portion is referred to as plastic it has been found that Delrin, an acetyl polymer or ABS, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer has also proven satisfactory. The plastic material used for the body and nut must be of adequate strength to resist failure at high water service pressures and must be dimensionally stable on long exposure to water. The spray face is of polypropylene or polyethylene material and must be of such properties to permit the desired flexibility in thin sections and must be dimensionally stable on long exposure to water.

The shower head as disclosed, has the supply member made of metal, such as chrome plated brass, which allows its rigid adjustment to the supply main without any danger of splitting the member during the adjustment operation. The spray face, the body portion and the nut portion are all made of plastic which can be readily molded and will retain their precise dimensions under constant use. The surface of contact between the metal ball and the plastic body portion includes a packing ring to ensure a watertight connection and a bearing surface against the plastic inner surface of the body portion. It has been found that these two bearing surfaces give a highly satisfactory seal between the ball and the body portion. The arrangement of the slots in the lower periphery of the body portion allows the production of a satisfactory spray pattern only when the slots are quadrangular in cross section and have a variation in the rear wall to produce the desired spray distribution within the shower.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be Within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1, A shower head comprising in combination; a supply member, a body portion and a spray face:

(a) the metallic supply member terminating in a ball and having a water conduit the-rethrough,

(b) the bell-shaped plastic body portion having an unrestricted water passage therethrough and having a packing ring near the upper end thereof with threads on the exterior surface of said body portion to receive and hold a plastic threaded nut, which forces the ball joint to bear against the packing and a bearing surface of the body portion adjacent to said packing, said body portion having a yoke within the water passage with a central portion having a threaded opening therethrough, said yoke having water discharge openings therearound, and having a bore therein to allow the discharge of water around the yoke and through slots arranged in the inner circumference of said discharge end of said body portion, said slots being quadrangular in cross section and formed in the wall of said body portion and having the outer wall thereof at an angle to the perpendicular axis of the shower head, one-half of said slots having a rear wall angle of 12 /2 one-third of said slots having a rear wall angle of 6 and one-sixth of said slots having a rear wall angle of 2, said body portion having an inner face taper of 2 to the perpendicular; and

(c) the plastic spray face having a returned flexible edge portion adjacent to the outer edge thereof and having a threaded boss on the upper surface thereof to be received and adjustably held by said threaded opening in said yoke.

2. A shower head comprising in combination; a supply member, a body portion and a spray face:

(a) the metallic supply member te-rminating in a ball and having a water conduit therethrough,

(b) the bell-shaped plastic body portion having an unrestricted water passage therethrough and having a packing ring near the upper end thereof with threads on the exterior surface of said body portion to receive and hold a plastic threaded nut, which forces the ball joint to bear against the packing and a bearing surface of the body portion adjacent to said packing, said body portion having a yoke within the water passage with a central portion having a threaded opening therethrough, said yoke having water discharge openings therearound, said body portion having a recess therein at its larger discharge end to form a spray shield and having a bore therein to allow the discharge of water around the yoke and through slots arranged in the inner circumference of said discharge end of said body portion, said slots being quadrangular in cross section and formed in the wall of said body portion and having the outer wall thereof at an angle to the perpendicular axis of the shower head, one-half of said slots having a rear wall angle of 12 /2 one-third of said slots having a rear wall angle of 6 and one-sixth of said slots having a rear wall angle of 2, said body portion having an inner face taper of 2 to the perpendicular; and

(c) the plastic spray face having a key on the outer surface thereof and having a returned flexible edge portion adjacent to the outer edge thereof and having a threaded boss on the upper surface thereof to be received and adjustably held by said threaded opening in said yoke.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner. 

